


[Insert Title Here]

by Juladi_R_Porter



Category: Arby 'n' The Chief, Halo
Genre: Dreams and Nightmares, F/F, M/M, Not actual rape it's only in a dream, Rape/Non-con Elements, Transformation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-19
Updated: 2015-05-23
Packaged: 2018-01-04 19:14:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1084723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Juladi_R_Porter/pseuds/Juladi_R_Porter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An Arby n the Chief fic</p><p>The "Allknower" knows everything about everything, but he doesn't know why Arbiter, Master Chief, Cortana, and Greg are alive. He is convinced that they are some kind of manifestation of someone's obsession with the halo game, but that wouldn't explain Greg.</p><p>He studies them from afar to try and learn more about them, but when he realizes that they are starting to feel real feelings of compassion for each other, he decides to give them a chance at a real life.</p><p>He turns them all into what they are depicted to be, so Master Chief is a human with his armor, Cortana is the AI that goes inside his armor, Arbiter is a real life Sangheili, and greg is a real spider.</p><p>The story is about how they (mainly Arbiter and Master Chief) survive in the outside world and how their feelings for one another go deeper than just friendship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

  
  
  
The world is unpredictable and cruel. Giving the breath of life to insignificant pieces of plastic. I myself am unaware of the real reason they have come to be, but as the Allknower, I have to keep up a certain image of omniscience. The time has come that I find myself baffled, for the world has produced life without my knowledge.

As much as I do not want to admit it, I do not know why they are alive.

They are strange anomalies with seemingly no purpose. Though they live in an environment where it is possible to gain excessive amounts of knowledge, they choose to stay far away from the reality of what they are, which is probably for the best.

One, the clever male who calls himself Arbiter, dwelled on it, tried to find a reason for living, but found none. His search ultimately lead him to the conclusion that they all are utterly useless, thus he became less animated, less interested in things, brought down by the realization of his own life. He believes his life has no purpose.

I do not believe this to be true. I believe there is a purpose for all of their lives, and I am curious to find out what that purpose is.

They each have their own mind. Some foolish, some polished, but minds none the less. They can think thoughts... wants... dreams.

Though they have no vocal cords, they can speak fluently. They appear to be capable of sensory functions, such as hearing, seeing, and smelling.

They are without nerves, but they can feel pain and pleasure.

I know for a fact that they can feel emotions. They can feel everything from euphoria to devastation.

They are literally just plastic, but they live on functioning, feeling emotions, as though they had beating hearts. They truly are the most marvelous of mysteries, and the mystery I shall solve...


	2. Scrabble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang plays Scrabble together, Arbiter and Master Chief almost bond.

In the middle of a polished white tiled kitchen floor was a classic Scrabble board. Words like COSTAL, AGAINST, and STARE were already plastered on the squares. The reddish-brown fabricated Scrabble bag was toppled over, the wooden letters settled deep inside. Surrounding the board’s four edges sat four intense plastic figures.

The air around the figures was quiet, but engulfed by thick, beaded tension. Tension that filled the room to the very brim, oozing through every crevice in the creamy tannish-white walls. Spacious separation from one another indicated clear competition, except for two of the males who were sitting rather close to each other.

The one figure, the larger of the two, had quadruple hinged mandibles with conical teeth that hung from his face, exhibiting his humanoid and reptilian body structure. His golden armor did not shine, for he was a plastic toy. His body was depicting an alien named the “Arbiter” from the “Halo” franchise.

The plastic Arbiter held the most brains out of the four figures. He was inquisitive and thoughtful, while the others just accepted what life handed to them. He is very aware of what he is, knows that his time is unexplainable, but limited, and is trying to appreciate what he has, though he finds it hard to do so when his body is constantly falling apart.

Games like these help him to push those thoughts to the back of his mind.

The golden armored figure stared at the board, happy with his last move of adding the word HIJACK, earning him a solid twenty-two points added to the fifty-six points he already had. He held his gaze at the board, painted yellow eyes staring until he realized it had become motionless. He released his gaze to look at his close companion.

“Chief…?” Came Arbiter’s deep monotone voice. When he received no response, he continued, “It’s your turn.”

“I know Faggot!” said the green armored figure nervously, quickly turning his head towards the Arbiter. He was also from the “Halo” franchise, depicted as “Master Chief”, the strong, smart, cunning, and lucky main protagonist. Sadly, the plastic Master Chief who sat sullenly, defeated by a game of Scrabble, was nothing of the sort.

The plastic Master Chief was regularly sexist and rude. He is also a hypocrite who loves to talk down on anything and everything he comes in contact with. His smarts are lacking, and that is being nice. He is foul-mouthed and illiterate, and believes everyone else to be the stupid ones.

He has to think that though, or the thoughts of being stupid will consume him.

His demeaning arrogance has cost him many friendships. Except his friendship with the Arbiter, for despite Arbiter’s “I won’t let you walk all over me” attitude, he, for some odd reason, never pushes Master Chief away.

Arbiter is the reason Chief has the one friend that he has.

Master Chief raised his arms in the air, and then dropped them to his lap dramatically. Somehow, the Arbiter could tell he was flustered through the masking golden visor, and dismissed the “faggot” comment. He scooted closer to Master Chief placing a four-fingered hand on his shoulder.

“Do you need hel--?”

“I know what to do!”

“Well then what’s wrong?”

“I don’t-- the stupid letter-- I just--!”

Master Chief stuttered to get out what he was trying to say, but shut up once he realized that if he said what he wanted to say out loud, that would make him sound stupid. He looked to Arbiter dumbly, not wanting to say what was on his mind in front of the other figurines. He quickly brought himself to Arbiter’s ear, placing his hands over them to make sure the others didn’t hear, as if he was telling Arbiter a super confidential secret.

“I want to put down a word, but I don’t know if I’m spelling it right.” Whispered Master Chief dolefully. If Master Chief were spelling whatever word he wanted to spell right, then that would be the first word that he put on the board. It was surprising that he didn’t leave in a huffing fit about how “stupid” and “gay” this game was already. The Arbiter chuckled and Master Chief pinched him. “It’s NOT funny!”

“Okay, okay, what word is it?”

Master Chief returned to his secretive position, holding his hands up to Arbiter’s ears. Arbiter listened to Master Chief and choked on air when he said the word that he was trying to spell.

Arbiter looked to the hopeful toy, contemplating what to say so he would not hurt his sensitive friend’s feelings. Deciding on telling him the truth, for that would be better than one of the others calling him out on his ridiculousness, he mimicked Master Chief’s previous movements, putting his hands to Master Chief’s ears.

“Chief… you are spelling it right… but ‘ROFLCOPTER’ isn’t a real word… therefore you can’t use it on the Scrabble board.” Said Arbiter in the gentlest tone he could manage in a whisper, hoping that his friend would continue to play through this small defeat.

But Master Chief’s entire demeanor changed, sagging low in sadness, for he had been so excited to finally get a word placed on the board. He slumped down, his head hung low, and his hands had found their way to his lap. If he could cry, he would have started then.

Master Chief began trembling, as if he truly was about to cry, but before he could say “Crying face.“ (His normal way of communicating his feelings was through speaking text emoticons) the Arbiter grabbed his hand and used it to point to a spot on the board. “It’s okay though, look!” declared Arbiter, trying to remain whispering for Master Chief’s sake. 

Master Chief was struggling not to sob. “You’re doing it right! You can still use ‘COPTER’ as your word. Look, right here.” Encouraged Arbiter. Master Chief stopped shaking as hard, reduced to slight tremors, as Arbiter guided his hands over the wooden tiles, connecting the ‘C’ from his HIJACK to the ‘C’ in COPTER.

Master Chief looked at the tiles they placed on the board, his body finally calming down enough for him to actually see what had happened. He looked to Arbiter warmly, and said, “Happy-Face! I got six points!” Arbiter smiled, curling his hand around Master Chief’s tighter. “Actually you got ten points.”

Arbiter reached over and pulled out five new wooden tiles and placed them on Master Chief’s rack, their hands still entwined. Then another one of the figures abruptly spoke.

“If you two are finished…?”

Depicting the character “Cortana” from the “Halo” franchise, her body was constructed as a nude human female, censored by geometric patterns and dark blue symbols scrolling down the length of her frame. Looking roughly in her early twenties, with light blue skin, shoulder length dark blue hair cut shorter at the back, her appearance was very beautiful.

The plastic Cortana is very strong willed, cold, and shows clear signs of intelligence, never backing down in her penetrating criticism. She won’t take shit from anybody, not even Arbiter, and she will surely let you know if she doesn’t like you.

“… I’d like to take my turn.”

When Master Chief saw that Cortana was referring to ‘them’ as ‘doing something’, he roughly pulled his hand away from Arbiter’s; realizing the dial on his internal “Gay-O-Meter” was dangerously high. Which of course earned him a weirdly pessimistic look from Arbiter, who was thinking, “For a moment I thought we were bonding.”

Cortana huffed, ignoring their staring, and placed the word POLITICAL on the board giving herself thirteen points. Why are the two toys so close, yet so far away from each other? It confused her, for she was a direct toy, who if she didn’t want you around, or if she wanted to go to bed with you, she would say it. But no. These two just continuously danced around each other. She didn’t like it.

As she grabbed her pieces from the bag, she stepped back, analyzing her move, trying to see if she could find another word for the next time it became her turn, but for now, it was Greg’s turn.

The last plastic figure, a rather large light-brown arachnid, took a glance at the board and clapped with his two front legs, quickly writing on a post-it-note “Awesome job, Cortana!” with a smiley face at the bottom.

Greg is very friendly, caring, loyal, and somewhat shy. Greg cannot speak; he regularly communicates with the others by writing on post-it-notes, of which he carries a pack on his back. He uses informal, but mostly correct language, often using text abbreviations, with an occasional drawing.

Cortana looked to Greg and smiled. “Thank you, Greg.” She said, as he placed the word FLAKE onto the board, earning him twelve points. Cortana pushed the Scrabble bag to the spider so he could easily reach his pieces. Greg thanked her with a “:)” on the post-it-note.

The game waged on for a whole nine minutes before the group heard the timer Arbiter had previously set on the microwave go off. The timer was alerting them that their time to play was up, and that they needed to take this remaining time to clean up their game.

“Jon will be home shortly.” Said Arbiter as he went to turn off the alarm. The other figurines stood up, helping each other fit all the pieces of the board into the Scrabble box. When Arbiter climbed the counter top and reached the microwave, he saw the time. 10:51 p.m.… They had been playing Scrabble for almost two hours.

Then he realized that Master Chief had gone two straight hours without playing “Halo 3” and didn’t show any signs of wanting to play it now. And even though he didn’t win the Scrabble game, he was actually helping clean up, which was great for him. Great because that meant Master Chief was being tolerable… enjoyable.

The Arbiter smiled and climbed down to help his three friends clean up. After they put the game away, Greg disappeared, probably going under the purple couch in the living room to sleep. Cortana climbed to the desk and got on the computer. Later he heard her giggling, so she was probably chatting with her feminist friends.

Arbiter, agreeing with Greg, decided it was time for him to go to sleep. He staggered down the hallway, only now realizing how tired he actually was. He walked into Jon's room and began to climb up Jon's bed, when he heard Master Chief's voice.

“Arbiter, what are you doing?"

Arbiter fell to the ground, surprised by his unexpected voice, and glared at Master Chief.

“What does it look like?"

Master Chief stayed quiet for a few moments.

“...I don’t know."

“I'm going to sleep, Chief." Sighed Arbiter as he again began climbing up the bed. When he made it to the top, Master Chief was still standing there looking at him, as if he wanted to say something, but didn't. 

“Are you tired?"

“Yes."

“Ya' want to join me?"

“... Yes."

Master Chief climbed up the bed with the help of Arbiter. When he reached the top, Arbiter asked him “Which side do you want?" Master Chief stared and said nothing, for he was confused. “Of the bed. Which side of the bed do you want? Right or Left?" Master Chief said a simple “Oh."

“… I want the side closest to the window."

Arbiter huffed and complied, stumbling over the ruffled sheets. Master Chief laughed and Arbiter couldn't help but smile. He enjoyed times like these, when Master Chief was playful, not excessively cynical. When the day flew by because they were having fun. When no one was threatening to off themselves... It was nice.

Arbiter curled up in the covers and sighed, hoping that tomorrow would be just as nice as today.

Little did he know, tomorrow was going to be much, much brighter than any of them would've expected.


	3. Arbiter's Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arbiter gets a visit from someone in his dreams.

Arbiter was walking. Walking miles. Walking endlessly towards an unknown light. There was a certain thrill in the mystery, that forced him to continue walking, never knowing what he was traveling to, for the light seemed to change it’s distance from him the closer he got to it.

He was striving towards something he could never reach, he figured, as the light, again, became farther than it was before. He persisted walking though, tiny needle-like sensations running up and down his legs.

Walking, walking, walking, until he felt his legs give out from underneath him.

He fell to the ground, his body to tired to even hold his hands out to stop his fall. Arbiter lay there, breathing heavily, feeling his eyelids begin to slide weightily over his eyes. He would have stayed there for the eternity of his dreams, if it weren’t for the sudden soft voice he heard in the back of his head.

“Why did you stop?” Asked the frantic, deep, masculine voice, sounding far away.

Arbiter wondered who this distressed man was in his dream, but dismissed it, letting his exhaustion take over.

“Please, get up!” The voice yelled desperately, suddenly sounding extremely close. Arbiter lurched up, expecting to be woken from his normally painful dream. But when his eyes opened, he was still laying on the cold, rocky floor of his dream world.

Arbiter struggled to stand, wincing as he did so; the pain in his limbs intensifying. When he made it to his feet, lifting his head up sluggishly, he was met with a set of piercing blue eyes.

Arbiter wasn’t gay. He just wasn’t. But he had to admit it; this was a strikingly handsome human. He had a rectangular face with a defined, slightly pointed chin. His dark, blue eyes were thin ovals spaced evenly apart, sitting below trim eyebrows that seemed to curve as a natural extension of his broad, somewhat pointed nose. His hair was ruffled and crazy, stick straight strands of brown covered his typically shaped head. A creamy white, slightly tattered tank top draped over his wide, about-five-inches-shorter frame, leaving his fuzzy arms bare. Grey sweat pants bagged down his strong built legs, the pant bottoms tucked into big black leather laced boots.

The man stood unsteady, staring at him fiercely. His beautiful blue eyes raged as he dug into Arbiter’s core. Arbiter stared back quietly, unsure of what to do, for this man’s motives were unknown. 

The man was quickly deteriorating mentally, it showed in his scrunching face, and as suddenly as the man appeared, the man started sobbing, his chest heaving up and down rapidly as the tears flowed down his face.

“Y-- you can’t just stop! Y-- you’re almost there!” He cried out in between sobs.

How could this man say that Arbiter was almost there? The light at the end of his rocky tunnel was continuously changing. Some nights it was farther then his mind could fathom, other nights it was so close it seemed like he could touch it, but he could never reach it. Never would the tyrant controlling his dreams let him clasp the alluring light.

The more he walked, the more he felt like his journey was pointless.

Arbiter stepped closer to the hysterical man as he yelled, his head in his hands, “Please, keep going, Arbiter!” but as he took another step closer, the man fell to his knees dramatically, crying out desperately, “I NEED you to keep going!”

Arbiter’s exhaustion was pushed away for the time being, replaced by a powerful concern for the man. Arbiter knew he was only dreaming, (an extremely out-of-the-ordinary dream, but a dream nonetheless) so it couldn’t hurt to trust that this man was genuinely distressed.

He bent down on one tired leg, and extended his hand for the sobbing man’s shaking shoulder. When Arbiter’s hand was gently settled on the man’s shoulder, the man stopped shaking, but kept his head in his hands.

“P-- please… Please don’t stop.” Whispered the man, almost to soft for Arbiter to hear. The man looked up from his hands sorrowfully, Arbiter’s heart wrenching at the sight of the man’s lovely face twisted into sadness. The man looked up at Arbiter with tearing eyes, “If you stop I… I…” and then he choked, sobbing harder than he had been before.

Arbiter pulled the man into a strong hold, letting him weep into his chest. There was what seemed like a long while of holding the crying man before Arbiter decided it was time he quell him. He placed his hand under the man’s chin and gently lifted his head, the man still struggling not to sob.

“I… I won’t stop.” Said Arbiter, looking straight into the man’s eyes. 

Then the man looked happy. He smiled brightly, tears still flowing down his face. “Thank You, Arbiter.” Cooed the man, his voice resonating throughout Arbiter’s frame, sheathing his mind in a warm, comforting embrace.

The man had calmed down, his sobbing turned into soft joyful snivels, and he made no move to get up. Arbiter was relieved, and let himself relish in the warm, accepted physical contact, sighing into the touch.

But the man sat up suddenly, looking into Arbiter’s eyes. “Thank you.” He said, wrapping his arms around Arbiter’s neck, pulling him into an affectionate hug. “Thank you.“ He said again, his lips brushing against Arbiter’s neck as he did so, a shiver emanating from Arbiter that prickled down his spine.

“Y-- you’re welcome.” Murmured Arbiter, his heart pounding in his chest, because this blue eyed, strong-jawed man who he did not know was cuddling against him, making him feel important, and he didn’t know what to do. His brain was scrambled, and his heart was confused, for he never felt the way he felt with this man with anyone else.

The dream man must have been able to read his mind, because the man shot up and stared at Arbiter painfully, his eyebrows curling up sympathetically. Arbiter stared back, not entirely sure what had troubled the man. Then the man spoke.

“You have…” He said sternly, his lips closed in a thin, straight line. “You have felt this way about someone, you are just to stubborn to admit it to yourself… It’s confusing to me though, because you can admit it to me… or I’m wrong and you are just a plastic toy who couldn’t feel love if they tried... Am I wrong?”

Arbiter was stunned, but the man stayed firm in his gaze, truly asking him which was correct. Arbiter was confused, for neither option seemed accurate. Being plastic did not hinder his ability to love, for he thought that he truly loved Claire, the girl he met playing Halo online multiplayer, but maybe he was wrong, because he didn’t feel THIS way about her. Was THIS feeling love? Was he feeling affection for a manifestation of his dreams? And a dude of all things? If he was, that was pathetic!

He truly thought he had never felt this way about anyone, and that if he had he would have remembered, for this feeling was heavenly, almost toxic, for he knew he would have to leave it when he finally awoke. It made him want to stay sleeping forever, and that was not good, especially with his already deepened state into depression.

Maybe it wasn’t because he was to stubborn to recognize love in the real world, maybe it was because he was so depressed that he couldn’t see what this man saw. He thought hard, trying to come up with people he held dear to his heart. But there were only four.

Though Claire rejected him because of him being a plastic toy, he still felt a sense of tenderness towards her, and would always consider her a friend.

Cortana was his strong, independent female friend who insisted on stating her opinion, but he knew she only meant it in a friendly way, and that she cared for him as much as he cared for her.

Greg was another one of his close friends. He could always trust Greg to be there when he needed him to be, and he could always come to him for anything. He didn’t love the spider though… he hoped not.

Master Chief was… well… he didn’t really know how to describe their relationship, but he knew it wasn’t love. As much as he didn’t want to believe it, he knew that the toy hated his guts.

“Arbiter?” Came the dream man’s deep, rumbling voice. His silence clearly worrying the man, for his expression was stuck on “Are you okay?” as he held on to Arbiter’s shoulders tightly.

“I’m fine. I just don’t know who you could possibly be talking about.” Said Arbiter finally. The man looked at him knowingly, as if he knew exactly who he was talking about, but he didn’t look like he was going to share that knowledge. He removed a hand from Arbiter’s shoulder, slowly bringing it to Arbiter’s face, and began stroking it gently.

“Strong, intelligent, alien… You see your self as this, no?” asked the man softly with spark in his eyes. Arbiter thought for a moment. He had never realized that in his dreams he was not himself. Well, he was not the plastic figure he knew himself to be. No, he was big, he was tall, he was fleshy… he was real.

“Yes.” He said, watching the man’s eyes attentively. The man stared, his body unmoving, his hand dropping from Arbiter’s face. Then his eyes hardened, his lips curling into a wolfish grin, and his hand gripped down tight on Arbiter’s shoulder.

“Then it shall be done.” Said the man, but the voice emanating from him did not sound like the man he had come to enjoy. This voice was rugged and powerful; it’s tone dark and eerie, sounding dreadfully bloodcurdling.

Arbiter glared questioningly at the man, but just as he appeared, he vanished, his presence slipping through his fingers rapidly. As he stood up yelling for the man to return, he realized that his narrow mind prison was filling with a thick, gloomy fog. The fog slithered around Arbiter’s ankles and quickly climbed up his legs.

Arbiter was stricken with panic as the fog hastily crawled from his chest to his neck. He stumbled as the fog forced its way down his throat. Arbiter struggled to breathe, his lungs feeling like they were on fire, his vision completely impaired, blurred by the thickening fog.

He gasped for air, clutching his tightening chest. He felt like he was going to die, but he just wouldn’t wake up. He gasped until he could no longer even do that, and fell to the ground, his body already losing to much oxygen to continue functioning. 

“Love who you truly love and everything will be explained.” He heard the voice say, before he felt himself slip into a dreaming version of unconsciousness.


	4. The World Shrunk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arbiter wakes up and finds his world has changed.

Chapter 3

Arbiter woke with a start, immediately closing his eyes, for they stung from the light shining in through the window. He felt squished, like something was weighing his chest down, and his mind was racing. What the hell just happened? What did the voice say? To love? Love who? He did not know, and he doubted he would remember anything later. He felt like he was still suffocating; it’s a wonder he remembered any of the last bits of his dream.

Before he could think on his dream any farther, he elected to find out what was crushing him. He turned his head to the side, his eyes becoming wide when he saw what the heavy feeling was. Master Chief lay beside him, his body wrapped loosely around his, one leg tucked over and under Arbiter’s leg, an arm sprawled over Arbiter’s chest, a hand clutching onto Arbiter’s shiny greyish-gold armor.

Did Master Chief really roll all the way over to his side? He watched feverishly as Master Chief’s chest slowly rose and fell, the motion seeming so foreign to him. Not knowing what else to do, he slowly began untangling Master Chief’s limbs from his, starting with his leg and ending with his arm, but Master Chief’s grip on his armor was resilient, and even though he was sleeping, it felt like trying to take a toy from a stingy toddler.

Arbiter grabbed a hold of Master Chief’s hand, his fingertips suddenly recognizing the feeling of the thick black synthetic material that coated Master Chief’s hand, something he had not felt in all his experience of touching Master Chief.

As Arbiter gently pried Master Chief’s hand off of his chest plate, Master Chief let out the most endearing of whimpers, his hand curling and uncurling, looking like some kind of baby.

Arbiter pushed him over softly, expecting there to be something he could roll over onto.

He wasn’t expecting the loud clunk of armor clashing against the floor.

“Oh shit” Thought Arbiter, as he heard Master Chief’s soft, confused moan. He quickly looked over the side of the bed and was surprised when it didn’t seem so far away from the floor. He was going to say he was sorry, but Master Chief slowly looked up at Arbiter.

“Arbiter, What the--?“ Master Chief started, but stopped as soon as he heard his own voice. His laughably annoying monotone voice had changed, and was now replaced with a deep, throaty voice that sounded oddly familiar.

Master Chief looked to Arbiter confusedly, and though he could not see a face under his mask, his years of being with Chief helped him to pinpoint exactly what he was feeling.

“I do not--.“ said arbiter, but he stopped mid sentence. His voice had changed also. He now had a soft, mild, glowering voice that sounded like something off of a horror movie.

They both stared at each other uncomprehendingly for a while before Arbiter spoke again.

“Our voices have changed…” He said, as he began sitting up. He brought his legs off the side of the bed, ready to jump down, but found that his feet already touched the floor. Arbiter looked at the flabbergasted Master Chief, wondering if he saw what he saw.

“What the fuck? Why the fuck are you so fucking big, Arbiter?” said Master Chief. Master Chief sat up in wonder, for the window, the lamp, the dresser, the basket of Jon’s dirty clothes, the whole room was so much smaller!

“I could say the same thing to you.” Said Arbiter, looking to Master Chief, his brain racing to find an reason for whatever was going on, but every explanation he came up with was dismissed for it was surly impossible… Right?

He sat thinking of anything that made sense and he came up with nothing. Though it did not make sense, the fact that they were bigger than they were before was undeniable. He brought his hands to his head, feeling reptilian skin where there once was plastic.

His armor shined, the tape on his arm was gone, he could see clearly, he was BREATHING… The sudden realization of what had actually happened to them hitting his brain like a speeding train.

He looked to Master Chief, wondering if he came to the same conclusion. Master Chief only stared at him.

“Holy shit, Arbiter, the world shrunk!” yelled Master Chief in astonishment. He laughed and stood up, his arms flailing at his sides theatrically.

“Chief, the world didn’t shrink, we grew.” Said Arbiter, struggling not to chuckle as the sight of Master Chief jumping up and down swinging his arms excitedly. “But that’s not the only thing that happened.”

“Well what else happened?” asked Chief, clearly not seeing the signs himself. Arbiter abruptly stood up, his body shaking enthusiastically, and grabbed a hold of Master Chief’s shoulders.

“Chief, look at us! Don’t you feel heavier? Can’t you see clearer? Look, you can move your fingers, now!” Said Arbiter happily, taking Master Chief’s wrists in his hands and pulling them up so he could see them. “Go ahead, move them!”

Master Chief glanced at his fingers captured in Arbiter’s palm; them instinctively stuck in the same “holding a gun” position. He stared at them, trying to make them move, and slowly but surely, they began wiggling in Arbiter’s grip. He looked to Arbiter, thoroughly confused. 

“We aren't just toys anymore, Chief, we are REAL!” exclaimed Arbiter, his yellow eyes glistening brightly. He never thought something so amazingly unbelievable could ever happen, especially to them! This was what he had wanted for so long, just to feel what it was like to be real.

Master Chief looked at Arbiter strangely, his head slightly tilted to the side. “We were real before.” He said, but Arbiter was to excited to debate. He had to go tell Cortana and Greg!

... Cortana and Greg...

“Do you think it happened to Cortana and Greg too?” asked Arbiter, glancing towards the door.

“How the fuck should I know?” Said Master Chief humorously. Arbiter laughed in response.

With that, Arbiter strolled down the now not-so-long hallway, and entered the living room, Master Chief close behind. They surveyed the room, looking for a person sized Cortana, but found no such thing. They looked in the living room for about two minutes, lifting boxes and moving blankets.

“I guess she’s not in here.” Said Arbiter disappointingly, before moving along to the kitchen. Master Chief stayed back in the living room.

He looked at the desk where Cortana was last seen, wondering if she was still a toy and had fallen asleep at the computer. He walked over to the desk, but found nothing. He sat down in the study chair and let his body relax into the soft cushioned seat. He would’ve stayed there just like that until Arbiter came back, but he then noticed the small black piece of metal resting on the surface of the desk, in front of the keyboard.

“She’s not in the kitchen!” Called Arbiter. He was searching every crevice, every drawer, every spot that he thought Cortana could fit, which was everywhere, for he didn't know what Cortana had gotten turned into, a human, a tiny blue person, or nothing at all, but he still couldn't find her.

Arbiter started opening the cabinets, but all he saw was pots, pans, cups, and plates. By the time he got to the last cabinet, he had lost all hope of finding Cortana in the kitchen, but when he shut the creamy white door, he almost jumped out of his skin.

Perched on the surface of the door, was a giant, furry, brown and black spider! Arbiter jumped back, all the enthusiasm of looking for Cortana flooded out of his system and was replaced by a shrill fear.

He stared back at the spider, wondering what to do, but before he thought to run and get a bowl, he realized the spider had a stack of post-it-notes attached to its back.

“Greg?” He said curiously, as the spider started thrashing its two front legs out, seeming like a yes. Well, what other spider had a pack of post-it-notes strapped to their back?

Arbiter held his hand out to Greg, and before it even reached him, Greg had already jumped from the door, landing safely in Arbiter’s palm.

“Hey, Greg.” He said warmly.

Back in the living room, Master Chief picked up the small black piece of metal, turning it around in his hand, inspecting his find. The piece of metal was relatively square shaped, with circle indentations on it. He flipped it over to the other side and saw that it looked like a computer chip.

Holding the chip flat in his palm, Master Chief tapped on it absentmindedly, not expecting it to do anything, but after it had been tapped on, it started to vibrate in his hand. Before he could do anything, a translucent version of Cortana appeared above the chip.

She was standing on one knee, one hand placed firmly on the invisible ground in which she stood. She stumbled as she tried to stand up, her body feeling as light as a feather. She hadn’t noticed Master Chief, and continued trying to stand.

“Cortana?” asked Master Chief, staring wondrously at his tiny rival. "Are you okay?" 

Cortana jerked her head up, surprised to see the loathed Master Chief staring down at her. He was huge! Why was he so huge?! Cortana, again struggling to stand, couldn't balance herself on her own two legs, and it pissed her off.

"Do I look okay?!" Screeched Cortana, wobbling as she tried to stay leveled in midair. 

“Found her!” Called Master Chief, ignoring her obvious contempt. Arbiter walked in from the kitchen, Greg perched on his shoulder. They stared at the chair, the back of Master Chief’s head visible.

“And look! She’s still a bitch!” Chirped Master Chief, spinning the chair around roughly, purposefully jerking Cortana, effectively dropping her to her knees. Cortana growled loudly, her blue translucence shifting to a deep red hue.

Arbiter darted over to Chief and removed Cortana’s chip from his hands. “Hey, hey, hey, it’s alright, Cortana!” He said rapidly, trying to calm the furious female. Cortana stayed silent, her body shaking, and she was too furious to speak.

Arbiter gave Master Chief a look that said, “Why do you have to be such a dick?” but Master Chief just looked at him and shrugged.

“Oh, hi fuck-face!” Called Chief, noticing Greg rested on Arbiter’s shoulder. Ignoring Master Chief, Greg and Arbiter both watched as Cortana calmed herself, her color returning blue, and again, tried to stand up, this time achieving two legs status. She looked to Arbiter, her expression skeptical.

“I changed.” She said incredulously.

“We all changed.” Muttered Arbiter.

They looked at each other hard, analyzing, trying to figure out who new more, but soon realized they were all in the dark. No one knew what had happened to them, neither of them knew how things had come to be; they weren't going to get any answers out of one another.

So, they would just have to wait and see what would happen next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the wait :( I finally got my computer back though, so that's that :)


	5. Chief's Problems

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arbiter prepares to live a life in the outside world, while Chief reflects on his own dreams and appearance.

Arbiter and Master Chief sat on the couch, Cortana still in Arbiter’s hands, Greg on his shoulder, the events of the morning well set on their minds. They sat in silence, for no one knew what to say. All they knew was that they all had changed, and they assumed it was for the better. 

Master Chief reached for the remote to the TV and turned it on, the boredom of sitting doing nothing finally hitting him. After fifteen long minutes of flipping through seemingly endless channels, stopping and laughing at the occasional stupid cartoon, he found that there was nothing on of any interest to them.

He sluggishly looked to his side, seeing that Arbiter was the only one still awake. Cortana had fallen asleep with her head in her knees on the floor of her new AI world, and Greg was scrunched in a ball, his many deep red eyes shut, and Arbiter was staring towards the door of the apartment.

Master Chief huffed in his direction, earning him a glance from Arbiter. Trying to think of something to say, he watched as Arbiter carefully placed his sleeping friends on the middle cushion of the couch and stretched out his body, both of them hearing the loud popping of joints. They stared at each other thoughtfully before Arbiter finally spoke up.

“It’s five o’clock in the afternoon.”

Master Chief shrugged, again not knowing what to say. They stayed quiet again, looking at one another almost peacefully.

“Jon didn’t come home last night, did he?” asked Arbiter.

“I don’t know, but I’m tired.” Replied Master Chief with a yawn.

“You know, we're going to have to leave soon.” Said Arbiter, and Chief was visibly confused.

“Why? Jon's not here.” Stated Chief. “It's not like we have a place to go anyway, right? He wouldn't just kick us out. We've been his toys forever.”

“I don't know how long you've been here, but I've only been here for a little over a year and Jon as never even picked me up.” Said Arbiter, remembering the night he first saw Chief, and the battle they had with a knife and a frying pan. “But really, do you think Jon would ever believe us if we told him that we are his action figures?” and before Chief could say anything, Arbiter told him, “Don't answer that.”

Brushing Arbiter's comment aside, Chief gasped softly, suddenly realizing the truth in what Arbiter said. He guessed Arbiter was right about Jon not believing them, but had it really only been a year that they were together? It didn't seem like it to Chief, for as long as he could remember, he always had that annoyingly caring voice sitting next to him on this very couch.

Leaning back into the couch, Chief yawned again, and then again, until Arbiter was sure that sleep had defeated him, his head leaning up against the back of the couch relaxed, the remote falling from his hand.

Arbiter stared, wondering what lay ahead for him and his three friends, for he knew that they had to leave sometime tonight. They couldn’t just wait for Jon to come home and call the police on them. They had to live on their own now, and Arbiter wasn’t sure they were ready for that.

Everything they ever needed when they were plastic was right here in Jon’s small apartment, easily accessible through means of climbing; they never needed to worry. But now, they would have to leave, make ends meet for themselves, and it scared him. Leaving was also exhilarating, because the thought of being out on their own for the first time was just amazing. No having to set timers, stressing over “when Jon will get home” Being able to pick what they want to eat, and most of all, never having to worry about someone seeing them move; they would be free to do what they wanted, and that was better than anything.

Arbiter's mind ran through every possible option that they had; the only one that made any sense was taking Jon's money and running away, and that was something Arbiter did not want to do.

Master Chief’s body shuddered in his sleep, and Arbiter couldn’t help but wonder what was under that masking helmet of his. What color was his hair? Was he dark skinned or light skinned? What did his eyes look like? Was he old? Was he young?

It was as tormenting as playing the “Halo” games, never seeing the universe’s savior’s face, only this was much worse. He was so close to Chief that he could physically touch him. He could see his small shudders in his sleep and he could hear his breathing, but he still couldn’t see him… If only he could just... 

The thought of slipping Chief's helmet off as he slept was brushed away as Master Chief shook his way into consciousness, gasping and holding his hand to his chest. He looked around at the room before finally recognizing his home, staring at Arbiter with his head tilted in a way that Arbiter could tell he was scared.

“Are you--?”

“I'm fine.” Said Chief, but his body was shaking, a sign that he was not fine.  
   
“You don't look--.”

“I'm fine, Arbiter. Just... I'm fine.” Breathed Chief between gasps for air, before standing up and stumbling to the bathroom. Arbiter's "Wait, what’s wrong?" falling short, for he slammed the door shut, not listening.

An instant later Arbiter was at the bathroom door. “Chief?” he said, one of his worried hands balling into a fist before banging on the door. “What happened?” Said Arbiter worriedly, but he got no response.  
   
In the bathroom, Master Chief stood in front of the mirror. His arms gripped the sides of the small countertop tightly, its foundation creaking. His legs were shaking and his mind felt stirred; as though if he tilted his head his thoughts would come pouring out, splattering all over the tiled floor.   His head hurt, and he wanted to throw up. Why would he think of such a... disgusting thing?

He had thought that he was free from his disturbing dream, but it had continued right where it left off the night before. His confused mind unwillingly wondered, remembering the soft and gentle touch of the broad being in his dreams. He did not want to think about it at all, but soon he was picturing himself allowing the figure to touch him, his own body bending to its will.

Blushing hard, he thought back to the way the being’s fingers slicked deep into his... Oh god. Only in his dreams did he feel so safe, so loved... He wasn't gay though, so rather, in his nightmares. It made him sick to his stomach.

The lingering tightness in his gut dissipated as he attempted to shake the embarrassing thoughts out of his head, jumping out of his skin when he finally heard Arbiter's impatient knocking.

“Fucking stop it Arbiter, I'll be out in a second.” He said, looking at himself in the mirror, the reflection showing the image of his normal green and golden helmet.   He stared at himself, wondering what would happen if he took off his helmet. Would he have a green face? Like it was when his visor had been removed? It was unlikely, but it still scared him. The more he stared at his reflection, the more he saw the contours of his mysterious face. He looked away, not wanting to know what he truly looked like just yet.

What if he was ugly?

The thought of taking off his helmet became less appealing, for he didn’t think he would survive if he were ugly. Sighing, Chief turned around, trying to come up with excuses as he walked to the door. All he could think of was, “I thought I was going to throw up” which was true and would pose questions, and, “I had to take a piss” which, after thinking about it, was also true... and would also pose questions.

When Master Chief opened the door, there stood Arbiter with a sickeningly worried expression, something Chief was beginning to hate seeing. Anger seethed inside him as Arbiter shortened the distance between them, placing his hands on Chief's tense shoulders.

“Chief, what happened? You looked like you saw Todd's ghost!” said Arbiter, his concern evident in his voice. Chief's body stiffened and he stood up straight, swiping Arbiter's hands off of his shoulders. He wasn't anybody's problem to worry about, and he hated when Arbiter acted like he was. 

“Nothing happened.” Said Chief, and of course Arbiter wasn't going to leave it at that.

“That didn't look like nothing.” Said Arbiter, but Chief snorted loudly, tired of being asked about his problems.

“Just stop Arbiter, I'm fine!” shouted Chief, and Arbiter folded his arms over his chest, his expression turning into a scowl. Chief didn't like when Arbiter looked like that. Arbiter was the only one of his friends that actually attempted to help him, and he appreciated it, but recently he had been perfectly content with worrying about himself, by himself.

“I... I just don't want to talk about it.” He explained, trying not to induce unnecessary anger, and after another staring contest, Arbiter nodded.

Arbiter was sure that Master Chief was upset over something, for Jon's bathroom was the place that they both frequently went to for the peace and solitude to clear their minds, but he just wasn't sure why. He would feel much better about Chief hiding his problems from him if he knew Chief had someone else he could talk to about it, but Arbiter wasn't going to push him. He rather liked Chief's attitude of late.

Arbiter could tell that Master Chief was nervous, so he chose not to pester him any longer, leaving him and walking past him to get to Jon's room. He stood in the middle of the room, taking a quick glance at the entire space, wondering if there was anything useful that they should take. Though he really didn’t want to steal any of Jon’s things, he knew it was necessary for their survival. Jon had a job, and Arbiter knew for a fact that he had insurance. He would be able to recover from a bit of theft.

Sighing, Arbiter went to Jon’s closet and found two large suitcases, most likely from when Jon had moved in. He opened them both and laid them out on Jon’s bed, throwing anything that he thought would be beneficial to have. Shoes, blankets, clothes—

“Arbiter?” Came Master Chief with that deep voice of his. Turning around to face him, Arbiter saw that he was standing in the doorway with his hands clasped behind his back. “You need any help?” he asked, and Arbiter smiled.

“That would be nice.” He said, gesturing for Chief to come closer. Arbiter continued to look through Jon’s closet as Master Chief approached him. “Here. See if you can fit some of these clothes. I don’t want to have to buy any when we leave if we don’t have to.” Said Arbiter, holding out a stack of Jon’s clothes to Master Chief, most of which were green. “You have to have something for when I find a way to get you out of that armor.” Said Arbiter and Master Chief’s face immediately felt hot, his head tilting to the floor.

“What’s wrong? I thought you would like green considering your armor.”

“N-- no. It’s not--” Started Chief, the heat in his helmet becoming unbearable, making him glad that Arbiter couldn’t see his face. “I-- I don’t want you to t-- take my armor off Arbiter t-- that’s gay!” He stuttered, and Arbiter stared back at him, confused. A bright blush crept onto Arbiter’s face as he realized what Chief had said, and he slapped his palm onto his face, turning away from Chief. 

“C-- Chief I didn’t-- I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable, or give you the wrong impression.” He said after a moment, and for some strange reason, Chief felt a small stab of pain in his chest when Arbiter said “wrong” so surely. He nodded, the heat in his helmet slowly subsiding as he stared down at his own feet.

Moments passed before the tension softened and Arbiter turned back to face Master Chief. Chief was still staring at his feet, and Arbiter felt he should start up some sort of conversation to make things a little less awkward. He could tell Chief wanted to help him pack, because if he didn’t he would have left the moment things got “gay” but there he stood, silent and fiddling with his thumbs.

Arbiter was going to say something along the lines of “So, where do you think we should go?” but he paused mid-sentence, eyes widening in alarm as he was interrupted by the loud sound of someone banging on the front door to the apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry guys, I've been really busy lately. This story is keeping me happy though, so, you'll be seeing more of it later this month, or early next month :D


	6. Where to?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jon get's an prying "visitor" and Cortana discovers new things

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I know this chapter kind of sucks, but I just wanted to do a quick something before our favorite idiots venture out into the world.
> 
> Thank you all for your patience! The next chapter will be up within the next week :D

“Is that Jon?” whispered Master Chief as he hastily followed Arbiter down the hallway.

“I don’t know who it is, but it’s not Jon. Jon wouldn’t knock on his own door.” Reassured Arbiter as he walked into the living room and approached Cortana and Greg, who both had been woken up by the loud knocking and were staring fretfully at the door.

“Hide.” Ordered Arbiter, and Greg quickly picked up Cortana’s chip, climbing down the side of the couch and crawling under.

“Chief, you have to answer the door.” Whispered Arbiter.

“Me?” Said Master Chief as another set of knocks came from behind the door. “B- But, Arbiter!” He said as Arbiter appeared by his side. “W- What if it's the police?” Asked Chief in a hushed voice, staring at Arbiter with unseen eyebrows furrowed in fear.

“It's not the police, Chief. Why would it be the police? Just answer the door. I'll be right here.” Said Arbiter, giving Chief's shoulders a firm squeeze before retreating into the kitchen so he was unable to be seen from the door. Chief's body jerked slightly when he heard a strange and obnoxious voice behind the door, letting him know that it could hear him. 

When Chief finally opened the door, hands shaking, he was greeted by a short, stumpy man who desperately needed to shave his uneven mustache. The man looked angered at first, but when he saw Master Chief, his expression shifted into something of pure confusion. He took one look at Chief and burst into a fit of laughter, his head thrown back with exaggeration.

"That is one fantastic looking costume, Johnny-Boy!" He said, tapping on Chief's helmet harshly, jarring it backwards. "You're the guy from that stupid game you play right?" He asked, laughing before Chief could refute his “stupid” comment. The man's laughter slowly died down and his expression became serious. 

"Alright, Johnny, well, I'm glad you're alive. I wasn't able to come up quicker because Ms. Dilk had a problem with her TV and I was helping her fix it, and you know how she is, so desperate for social interaction. Anyway, the people on the lower level called about a loud noise that came from your room earlier today, so I came here to make sure you were alive in here. Also you're late on your rent. I'm gonna need that sooner, not later."

Loud noises? What loud noises could the man be talking about? Thought Arbiter, before he remembered the events of earlier that afternoon.

“What the hell are you talking about?” asked Chief, and the man looked surprised before giving a sly smile.

“A loud pounding noise. Sounded like someone was having a pretty good time in there is what I heard.”

“I don’t know what you’re—“

“Yeah, yeah, mind if I take a look around? Not that you can refuse.” Snickered the small man, squeezing his oddly pear shaped body pass Master Chief, Chief blankly letting the man into the apartment. He stood in the middle of the living room after examining it uncaringly. “I like what you did with the place.” He said, obviously trying to make small talk, something Chief didn’t know he disliked until right then. He grunted and said a small inexpressive, “Okay” the man giving him a look of impatience.

“Alright, alright, so tell me, I won’t get mad…” started the man “… Is there a girl hiding in here somewhere? If so, I wouldn't have expected you to be into that whole “dressing up” thing.”

Arbiter watched dumbstruck. Seriously? Did this man really just suggest that Jon was fucking somebody in a “Master Chief” costume? Arbiter was entirely baffled that this man would insinuate such a thing, while Master Chief stood silent, his feeble mind still figuring out what the man was saying. Taking Chief’s silence as a yes, the man started yelling into the small apartment, “It’s okay, Sweetheart! You can come out now! I won’t bite!”

“Um...” Started Chief, visibly confused. “There's no girls in here, trust me their never has been.” said Chief, laughing to himself as he imagined Cortana's angry expression as she attempted to punch him as an AI.

The man stared confusedly at Chief and his body stiffened. “A guy?” He said disbelievingly, and Chief stared back, just as confused. That was when Arbiter rushed out from the kitchen, ready to give a believable, and absolutely not sexual explanation for their “costumes”

“No, it's not like that! The noise was just Chief- Jon's armor! He fell out of the bed!” Said Arbiter desperately, and the man gave Arbiter a surprised look and then turned to Master Chief.

“So this is your... partner?” He asked, to which Chief shrugged and Arbiter choked on air, realizing what he had said.

“Yeah, sometimes when we play Halo-.” Started Chief, but Arbiter held a hand over the mouth of his helmet, confusing him enough to make him stop talking.

“Sir, I assure you, we aren’t-“

“No need to explain yourself to me…” interrupted the man, not so subtly inching towards the door. “…Try not to make to much noise, or I’m going to have to ask you to take off the costumes, but I’m sure you two aren’t finished yet.”

“No, we were just leaving! the costumes are for--!”

“I don’t care!” Exclaimed the man. “If you like the same sex, great! That’s your business! Just make sure you keep it down, okay? And use a condom, boys; better safe than sorry.” He said, quickly shutting the door behind him. Arbiter and Master Chief stood in the middle of the living room, completely speechless. Slamming his palm into his own face, Arbiter cursed loudly, removing his hand when he heard Chief's voice.

“I don't understand.” Spoke Chief, but before Arbiter could explain his embarrassment, Cortana took the liberty of explaining things rather bluntly. 

“You two were having sex while we were sleeping, huh? I'm surprised I didn't hear all those loud noises.” She said, her and Greg peeping their heads out from over the couch laughing. “Well, It's about time.”

“Whatever.” Said Arbiter, ignoring Cortana and Greg. He definitely didn’t want the idea of Master Chief and him fucking in the front of his mind, or in the back of his mind. He walked over to Chief who was standing stiff and put a hand on his shoulder, not expecting him to flinch away. Arbiter looked confused, but said nothing as Chief stared down at the floor.

“Well, uh. Come on, Chief. Lets just go finish packing so we can get the hell out of here.” Said Arbiter with a nervous laugh, and Chief nodded quickly in agreement before heading towards Jon's room without a word. 

Arbiter sighed, turning around to face the giggling duo. “Quit it guys... You know he's sensitive about stuff like that.” He said, but they only continued to laugh.

“You would know, right?” Wrote Greg on a fresh sticky note, and Arbiter made a face.

“Aw come on, Arbiter, you know we're just messing around.” Said Cortana, and Arbiter sighed again, knowing that Chief would not know better. If he knew Chief, he knew that he would go into complete shut down mode; nothing but Halo, insults, and complaining for weeks. Arbiter definitely did not want to deal with “bad” Chief after getting a taste of “good” Chief.

Arbiter wanted to keep that Chief away for as long as possible.

“Hey, I'm going to check on Chief; now that you guys are awake, why don't you check the computer for available housing. We need to leave as soon as possible.” Explained Arbiter as Cortana gave a curd look.

“Well how am I supposed to do that? I can't touch the keyboard, and it's not like I can just...” Started Cortana, trailing off as her mind, or processor, began searching. Cortana smiled wide, surprise and wonder written on her face as a holographic screen appeared in front of her with a list of options. “1441 Lawrence Avenue, Ontario, M4A 1W3, Summit Place. They have an apartment up for $160 a month.” She said, and Arbiter stared back, just as surprised. “It's only got one bedroom, but it's got water, gas, and electricity, so I think we can survive.” She continued, and Arbiter nodded in understanding.

“Then I guess that's where we're going.” He said, and Greg clapped his front legs together in excitement. Bidding Cortana and Greg goodbye for the moment, Arbiter traveled down the hall and stepped into Jon's room, seeing Master Chief sitting cross legged on the bed.

When Chief noticed Arbiter, he tilted his helmet in a way that Arbiter could tell he was upset. Making his way over to sit beside Chief, Arbiter attempted to place a hand on his shoulder once again, smiling when Chief leaned into his touch.

“Are you okay, Chief?” Asked Arbiter, and Chief held his head down, his scrunched up face unseen behind his helmet.

“Cortana's a cunt.” He said, and Arbiter chuckled softly. Chief wanted to scream, “It's not funny! I'm not gay!” but something else never wanted Arbiter to hear that from him. A strange sadness came over him as Arbiter's hand was removed, and Chief released an exhausted sigh. His constant indecisive emotions were beginning to piss him off; He didn't like Arbiter touching him! No! He couldn't! What was wrong with him?

“So.” Began Arbiter, noticing that the two suitcases were now closed. “Do we have everything we need to leave?”

“Um... Yeah, I guess so.” Replied Chief, and Arbiter laughed, opening up the suitcases, “just to make sure” After Arbiter was satisfied with their baggage, him and Chief went to find Cortana and Greg, who quickly reminded them that now they Also need to eat.

“Even if this is all just a vivid dream...” Thought Arbiter, laughing to himself as he stuffed the lighter suitcase with Chief's favorite cereal, among other edible things. “We might actually be okay.”


	7. Our Venture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arbiter and the gang take their first step into the real world, but Chief is reluctant. Also Arbiter starts to realize some things he doesn't particularly like knowing.

It was probably a bad idea to start walking at six o'clock at night, but Arbiter was determined to get out before Jon finally came home. They stood outside the apartment building, watching as people walked by, some staring and some not. The city's lights were on and there were tall buildings all around. Cortana and Greg were perched upon Arbiter's shoulders, their eyes filled with wonder as well. They were all enjoying finally being able to be outside without hiding, and Arbiter wanted to venture further. So far that his legs would feel as tired as they did in his dreams... His dreams? Arbiter was beginning to remember something when suddenly Chief spoke.

"I don't want to go." He said, and Arbiter turned to face him, not realizing that Chief hadn't followed them to the edge of the street. Chief was still standing in front of the apartment building, his hand held tightly onto one of the thin pillars that supported the balcony above him. Arbiter sighed.

"Are you alright? Did you forget something?" Said Arbiter after he made his way back to Chief.

"No." Said Chief, and Arbiter could tell he was scared, for his voice was small and unsteady. "Can't we just stay here?" He said, and Arbiter sighed again.

"We've been through this. No, we can't just stay here. We're not exactly inconspicuous anymore.” Said Arbiter, and Chief continued to stare at him, his mind still processing the information.

“What's a incomstickulous?” Asked Chief shyly, and Arbiter stared back, not even a little bit surprised.

“Inconspicuous. It means not noticeable.”

“Oh.... so....”  

“So, we aren't invisible to Jon anymore. If Jon comes home to find four uninvited guests on his couch, it's not going to be a welcoming party, it's going to be a call to the cops, and we wouldn't be able to hide either.” Said Arbiter, and Chief lowered his head.

"B-but, what if-"

"Oh come on, Chief I know you're not scared of a little adventure! Who knows? You might actually find another person just as stupid as you are to hang out with!" Spoke Cortana suddenly, and Chief let out a noise that could only be described as hurt.

"F-fuck you, Cortana!" He said, and Cortana laughed.

"That didn't sound very convincing."

"Cortana! Stop it!" Shouted Arbiter, picking up Cortana's chip from off of his shoulder and shoving her into the suitcase, not caring what she would say later. "Greg, can we have a little privacy for a moment?" Asked Arbiter, and Greg clapped his front legs together, climbing into the dark suitcase. Arbiter zipped the suitcase up and placed it onto the ground, then turned his attention back to Chief.

"Now..." He began, stopping when he realized Chief was trembling. Without a moment of delay, Arbiter placed his hands on Chief's heaving shoulders and pulled him close, not realizing until then how short Chief was, or rather, how tall Arbiter was. "Chief, don't think about this too hard. Everything is fine. We have plenty of money to last us at least a few months while we get used to living like this. All we have to do is get there. We are going to be fine."

"Crying Face... I don't want to go." Said Chief, his head spinning as he wondered why he had no problem with Arbiter holding him, and why he was actually feeling comforted by his voice.

"I know you don't, but we have to... There's no other reasonable choice." Said Arbiter, as Chief failed at trying not to sob. "I'm sorry you're scared, but I promise there's nothing to be scared of right now. Besides, you're the Master Chief. And I'm the Arbiter. Nobody is going to mess with us.” Said Arbiter as he released his hold on Chief. Chief looked up at Arbiter with a worried expression, and Arbiter gave him a smile in return.

"... Come on. Let's get out of here." Said Arbiter as he took Chief's hand in his.

"Okay." Agreed Chief, staring down at Arbiter's hand in his own. Without thinking, Chief entwined his armored fingers with Arbiter's, the only thing running through his mind was how fitting it felt to be holding Arbiter's four-fingered hand. He was thankful for his helmet, for he could tell by the heat that his face was impossibly red.

Arbiter was surprised and relieved that Chief had responded the way that he did, but was not about to let go because of the prying eyes that Chief didn't seem to notice. "Shall we?" Said Arbiter, gesturing towards the street. Chief's grip on Arbiter's hand tightened, and he nodded, picking up his own suitcase while Arbiter picked up his.

Minutes later they were walking down the streets of Ontario, and Chief's nervousness had not reduced one bit. Arbiter was never aware of Chief's fear of humans, and even though he didn't voice his fear, now it was obvious. Every time another person would come near him, he would start to shake, his hold of Arbiter's hand would tighten, and he would moan in distress, especially when a random stranger would come up to the both of them and compliment their "costumes"

The farther they got from the apartment building they used to call home, the more terrified Chief became, but Arbiter was sure Chief would be okay until they got to the subway station. Lifting the slightly opened suitcase close to his face, Arbiter peered inside, seeing Cortana's glowing bluish purple light. "Which way now, Cortana?" He asked.

"Take the next right and the entrance is two blocks down." Directed Cortana as Greg clapped his two front legs happily.

"Thank you." Said Arbiter returning the suitcase to his side as him and Chief walked, hands still clasped together. Chief was quiet as they walked, but he was thinking. He liked Arbiter's touch, oh how he liked it... but he didn't want to. A little tiny part of him wanted Arbiter to hate him so that he wouldn't have to deal with his feelings when Arbiter was so nice to him. Why was Arbiter so nice to him? He wanted answers, but he wasn't willing to ask the questions to get the answers. He wished all his problems would just go away.

"Chief?" Asked Arbiter, and Chief snapped out of his thoughts, realizing that he was standing in front of seats. They were on the train. When did they get on the train? Was he really thinking so hard that he couldn't even remember the trip? "Chief, are you okay?" Asked Arbiter again, but before Chief could respond, he was pushed up against Arbiter's chest by a rushing man who was out of site as quickly as he appeared, his apology lingering in the air.

More people piled onto the train as Chief tried to calm himself down, but for some reason he could not stand the thought of being touched by someone other than Arbiter. His heart was pounding in his chest, and he wanted to cry, but he was with Arbiter, and Arbiter was holding him. Arbiter was talking to him. What was he saying?

"Chief please talk to me. Are you okay?" Whispered Arbiter, trying to help Chief without making a scene.

"I-I'm okay." Said Chief finally, his voice coarse, and Arbiter sighed, relieved. Chief did not pull away from Arbiter's hold as more people came onto the train, squeezing in close to fit. Arbiter assumed that these people were all trying to get home from work, considering it was seven thirty at night, but some irrational part of his brain wanted all of them to get off the train, or at least get away from Chief. He couldn't stand seeing Chief so uncomfortable. He hoped that their current position wasn't bothering Chief either, because neither of them could do anything about it since the rest of the people had compressed themselves onto the train.

"I want to go home." Said Chief suddenly, his fingers curling into Arbiter's chest armor. Arbiter felt tremendously guilty. Even though it was the only logical choice, he had taken Chief out of the only home he had ever known, expecting him to be happy about all the changes that were happening. No wonder he was so frightened.

"I'm sorry." Said Arbiter, making a promise to himself to try to be more considerate. An hour passed with Chief pressed up against Arbiter, and Arbiter was positive he saw someone take a picture of them. When the train came to a stop, the passengers quickly began to exit through the now opened doors. Chief slowly pulled away from Arbiter, his head hanging low as he turned around to face the door.

Hesitantly, Arbiter grabbed a hold of Chief's hand, and Chief clasped their fingers together once again. They exited the train together, traveling to the steps that led to the street. The sky was dark now, but the city lights brightened the streets. After Looking around for another half hour, Arbiter smiled, seeing the glowing "Summit Place" sign.

"My legs hurt." Said Chief as they approached the apartment building.

"Well we're here now, so you can rest soon." Reassured Arbiter, opening the lobby door. Welcoming bells went off, and the woman at the front desk immediately raised her attention from the book she was reading to Arbiter and Chief.

"Welcome to Summit Place Apartments, my name is Jaydan, how can I help you two... gentlemen?" She said, surprised to see the famous video game duo in the lobby. "Wow! Those are some accurate costumes! Great job!" She exclaimed, and Arbiter smiled back while Chief groaned.

"Thank you." He said, and the woman looked like she was about to explode.

"Oh my god! Your voices are so perfect!" She squealed, her excitement clear on her face. 

"Thank you, Jaydan. But we've been traveling for about two hours, and we would both just like to get some sleep. We saw online that you had a one bedroom apartment available, is it still available?" Asked Arbiter, and the woman blushed brightly.

"Oh, um, one bedroom you said?"

"Yes."

"Okay. let me check. I'll be right with you." Said Jaydan, and Chief sighed, the pain in his legs increasing at the thought of waiting any longer. When Jaydan told them that the room was still available, they both sighed in relief. After Arbiter paid the woman, they followed her to the elevator, where she began explaining their daily schedule. The only thing that Arbiter heard was that they served free breakfast, for he was so tired he just wanted to sleep, but unfortunately Chief beat him to it.

A loud thud rang in Arbiter and Jaydan's ears, and they both immediately turned to find Chief slouched against the elevator wall snoring softly. As the elevator went up, Arbiter bent down and picked up the sleeping Chief into his arms, A giggle escaping Jaydan's throat as she watched the two. When the elevator doors opened, the woman held the door for Arbiter, and then gave him two keycards, pointing to their room.

"If you need anything, just call the front desk. Have a great night." She chuckled, and Arbiter thanked her again as the elevator closed. Pushing the key card into the door and opening it, Arbiter smiled... They made it. Now all they had to do was get comfortable. Arbiter dropped the suitcases in the first room, which held a TV and a sofa and was connected the the kitchen, much like their old apartment. Soon, Arbiter found the bedroom, tenderly placing Chief onto the larger-than-expected bed, smiling when Chief whined tiredly.

Arbiter was tired too, but for some reason he felt like the night was not over. He had one more thing he couldn't stand to leave a mystery any longer. Arbiter placed his hands under Chief's head, quickly finding what he was looking for. Gently pulling up on Chief's head, his helmet slipped off easily, but Arbiter was not expecting what he saw.

A small gasp escaped Arbiter as he took in the full pink lips, cute, slightly rectangular shaped face, topped with short but beautiful stick straight reddish brown hair. His eyes were shut, but his eyelashes were so long. He was so familiar. Arbiter was taken aback.

Chief was positively adorable. Arbiter was clearly not thinking straight, for he suddenly wanted to kiss Chief... Arbiter wasn't even sure he knew how to kiss. Arbiter paused, not even realizing he had moved so much closer to Chief's face... Something was seriously wrong with him. How could he even think about making out with his best friend, especially while he was sleeping?

Another surge of guilt pierced through Arbiter, for he knew exactly how Chief felt about homosexuals, and was willing to kiss him anyway... Arbiter wasn't even gay! Why was he having these thoughts at all?

Not wanting to think any longer, Arbiter elected it was time to go to sleep. "Goodnight, Chief." He said, laying down softly next to his friend, and before he knew it, he was fast asleep.

"...Those two really need to fuck." Said Cortana, as her and Greg stood in the doorway.

Quickly responding on a sticky-note, Greg wrote, "<3 Indeed <3"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey you guys! So sorry abou the wait. I've been very busy and my computer's hard drive died, so I had to rewrite everything that I had written. Hope you enjoyed this update! Leave a comment if you did, your words really do encourage me <3


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